Standard Chartered expands institutional crypto trading to the UAE
Standard Chartered has expanded institutional Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) spot trading to the United Arab Emirates through its branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The service gives eligible clients access to deliverable crypto trades through the bank’s existing electronic trading systems.
On Sept. 3, 2026, Standard Chartered said the rollout makes it the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer institutional digital asset spot trading in the UAE and the only global bank currently providing that capability in the region.
Eligible institutional clients can trade Bitcoin and Ether through electronic channels and interfaces already used for foreign exchange trading. Settlement can be directed to a custodian selected by the client, including Standard Chartered’s own UAE digital asset custody service.
The launch combines trading and custody capabilities that Standard Chartered has been building separately in the UAE since 2024, and extends a spot trading business first introduced through its UK branch in July 2025.
Deliverable Bitcoin and Ether through Standard Chartered DIFC
Trading is offered through Standard Chartered DIFC, the bank’s branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Clients receive deliverable Bitcoin and Ether rather than gaining exposure through a derivative tied to the price of either cryptocurrency.
Standard Chartered began offering the same type of institutional trading in the UK in July 2025, becoming the first G-SIB to provide deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading to institutional clients. The UK service was introduced for institutional customers, including corporations, asset managers and professional investors, with transactions executed through the bank’s existing FX trading interfaces.
The UAE deployment brings that trading setup into the same market where Standard Chartered already operates regulated digital asset custody.
A regulated route for institutional clients
Rola Abu Manneh, chief executive officer for the UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, said the country’s regulatory framework had supported institutional participation in digital assets.
"Extending our Bitcoin and Ether spot trading capability to institutional clients is a significant step in broadening our regulated digital asset proposition in the market," Abu Manneh said.
She said combining execution with custody, governance and the bank’s international network gives institutional clients a more integrated route into digital asset markets.
Execution can be separated from custody
Standard Chartered will not require clients using the new service to hold their Bitcoin or Ether with the bank. Institutions can instead settle transactions through a custodian of their choice, giving them the ability to separate trade execution from asset storage. The bank’s own digital asset custody platform remains one of the available options.
Standard Chartered launched that custody service in the UAE in September 2024 after receiving a license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority within DIFC. Bitcoin and Ether were the first supported assets, and Brevan Howard Digital was named the inaugural client.
Collateral arrangements with OKX and BUIDL
The bank’s role in UAE institutional crypto infrastructure expanded through an arrangement with OKX in April 2025. Institutional customers can keep eligible collateral with Standard Chartered while using its value for trading on OKX. The assets remain with the bank instead of being transferred directly to the exchange, while corresponding collateral balances are mirrored into client trading accounts.
The program began in the UAE with support from Brevan Howard and Franklin Templeton. In April 2026, the framework was extended to BlackRock’s tokenized U.S. Treasury fund BUIDL, allowing eligible institutional and VIP clients to use it off exchange while Standard Chartered holds the fund. OKX handles margining and liquidation within its trading system, while clients retain ownership of the tokenized fund and its yield under the structure.
DIFC provides the regulated base for trading
Christopher Parsons, senior executive officer at Standard Chartered DIFC, said the financial center provides a base from which international financial institutions can deploy services across regional markets.
"Extending our institutional digital asset trading capability through the Centre demonstrates the strength of that model," Parsons said, citing the combination of Standard Chartered’s markets business, international network and regulated DIFC presence.
Standard Chartered has used DIFC for several parts of its institutional digital asset business. Its custody platform operates from the financial center, while some collateral arrangements involving digital assets are structured around assets held by the bank in Dubai.
The bank’s digital asset operations extend outside the UAE through its corporate and investment bank and associated ventures. Its institutional strategy covers custody, trading and tokenization, while Zodia Markets operates in digital asset trading infrastructure and Libeara develops tokenization products.
Hong Kong adds distribution and tokenized fund services
Standard Chartered has continued to add regulated digital asset services in other financial centers. In Hong Kong, its local banking unit became the first bank distributor of HKDAP in August, giving eligible institutional clients and partners access to the regulated Hong Kong dollar-backed token.
HKDAP is issued by Standard Chartered-backed Anchorpoint, which received one of Hong Kong’s stablecoin issuer licenses in April. The token entered controlled beta access for institutions and professional investors, with uses including payments, fiat conversion and tokenized asset settlement.
Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong also plans to introduce subscription and settlement services for tokenized money market funds during the fourth quarter of 2026.
A UK trading model extended to Gulf clients
The UAE service follows more than a year of development around Standard Chartered’s direct institutional crypto trading business. When the UK operation went live in July 2025, Bitcoin and Ether trades were integrated into existing institutional trading platforms so clients could access crypto through infrastructure already used for traditional markets.
Standard Chartered said at the time that the setup was intended to allow institutions to transact and manage digital asset exposure within its regulated banking environment. The bank has since tested other structures linking crypto trading with traditional financial market infrastructure.
Its digital asset activities span direct spot execution, custody, collateral services and tokenization, while its venture businesses provide separate trading and tokenized asset capabilities.
For UAE clients, the Sept. 3, 2026 rollout adds direct Bitcoin and Ether execution to the custody infrastructure Standard Chartered has operated in DIFC since September 2024. Institutions using the service can route trades through the bank’s electronic trading channels and choose where the resulting assets are held, including settlement into Standard Chartered’s own custody platform.
